Craig Chandler, left, and Tory MLA Jonathan Denis disagree on likelihood of more defections to Wildrose Alliance
The Progressive Conservative government of Ed Stelmach lost two members Monday morning when Progressive Conservative MLAs Heather Forsyth and Rob Anderson crossed the floor to upstart rival, the Wildrose Alliance. Will the government lose more in the near future? Craig Chandler, Wildrose Alliance activist, expects more defections in 2010, but Calgary Egmont MLA Jonathan Denis downplays that idea and denies rumors he is being courted by the new party.
Both Ms. Forsyth and Mr. Anderson are described by Wildrose Alliance insiders as true blue conservatives who could no longer stomach the free spending policies of the Ed Stelmach Tories. At a Calgary press conference Wildrose Alliance leader Danielle Smith introduced the two additions to her party and took dead aim at what she believes is the soft underbelly of her major opponent: It’s departure from conservative ideals and policies.
“Since we are not the party in government, we cannot offer them a cabinet post or the trappings of power – even if we wanted to. Instead, they would be making a decision to cross the floor and join with our members based on principles and a recognition that the Stelmach Tories no longer represent the interests of Albertans,” she said. “Since we are not the party in government, we cannot offer them a cabinet post or the trappings of power – even if we wanted to.”
The Alliance now enjoys official party status in the legislature. More importantly, the move by the two respected Tories gives the new party significant momentum at a time when public opinion polls give it a healthy lead over the struggling government of Premier Ed Stelmach. Both Mr. Anderson (MLA for Airdrie-Chestermere) and Ms. Forsyth (MLA for Calgary-Fish Creek) have resigned from the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party and as members of the PC Caucus.
Heather Forsyth is serving her fifth term as an MLA and has been a senior member of the government. She expressed frustration at its current direction under Premier Stelmach.
“Alberta once again needs to have a stable economy, strong fiscal polices that attract capital to work here, bring back investors confidence, lower taxes and once again the Alberta Advantage needs to be back on the agenda and after meeting with Danielle Smith and other members of the Wildrose Alliance, I am confident that we can work together to build the province that Albertans deserve,” said Ms. Forsyth, who has served in several cabinet positions, including the Solicitor General of Alberta and the Minister of Children’s Services.
“This is a New Year and a New Beginning. And it begins for me with one important resolution: to stand up for the people I am elected to represent and to stand on principles that helped build a great province.”
Mr. Denis says he supports the right of members to leave one party and join another, but adds, “I think they’ve made the wrong decision.”
He says Ms. Forsyth told him she had several constituency association executive members defect to the Wildrose Alliance and she was having trouble raising money. The two MLAs share a southern boundary to their constituencies, but Mr. Denis says none of his executive has left for the new party and he is not experiencing any difficulty with fund raising.
“Over the past two years, I have committed myself to trying to make a positive impact within the government caucus by clearly advocating for the views and needs of my constituents. Unfortunately, the current PC Party Leadership has failed to address my constituent’s concerns and will not permit me to speak publicly about these issues. Instead of remaining silent I have decided to stand up with even greater force for the people who elected me,” said Mr. Anderson, a first-term MLA elected in 2008 and who served as the parliamentary assistant to the Solicitor General and Minister of Public Security.
“This is what the citizens of Alberta pay me to do. This is what my constituents expect of me. I have no interest in investing any more of my life and taxpayers’ money defending poor public policy that has been developed by a small band of out-of-touch government appointees and insiders.”
Mr. Anderson had expressed his frustration to the Calgary Egmont represenative that he was having trouble advancing issues and representing his constituents. Mr. Denis is a member of the self-styled “Fiscal Four” and says that one of the group’s objectives is to work within the Progressive Conservative party and the Stelmach government to effect change. He feel he can best advance conservative principles from within the Tory caucus.
Mr. Chandler is the executive director of the Progressive Group for Independent Business and was the strategy manager for Mark Dyrholm, the man Ms. Smith beat for the leadership of her party. Mr. Chandler says that whenever a governing party in Alberta moves to the left, a right wing party emerges to replace it, and that is the process at work in the defection of the Tory MLAs and the rise of the Wildrose Alliance. Based on conversations he has had with Tories and Wildrose Alliance politicians, Mr. Chandler says he expects another three or four MLAs to leave the government ranks and cross the floor.
MLA JONATHAN DENIS AND PGIB EXEC. DIR. CRAIG CHANDLER
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Although the news stories have reported that the constituents for these members are not complaining, I feel any voted party member who wishes to switch party affiliation shouldn’t be allowed to just make that switch the way they did.
Perhaps the voters who voted for them liked the party member regardless of what party they were in but they may also have been voted in because they were in a specific party. If an elected party member wishes to change parties, there should be a by-election first. If they win their seat under a new party then they get to stay on as an elected official. If the constituents don’t want to be represented by that party then they’ll probably be voted out.
If I voted in a PC, Green, Wildrose member and they suddenly decided to switch and join the Block party, I wouldn’t be a very happy voter. If the officials are representing their constituents, the constituents should decide what party should be supporting them.